Bright Eyes
by x Wednesday 13
Summary: Fiver's view of the end of Watership Down. Rated PG for some drama.


_Is it a kind of dream?_

Fiver gave Blackberry a look of content as they sat together, watching the antics of their newly-born grandkittens. They had just been taken out of the warren for the first time and were gazing in wonder at nature. It was the end of Spring and everything was in full-bloom. Countless songbirds were in the trees above them, playing games and teaching their own children about the magic and blessedness of life on the Down.

_Floating out of the tide..._

Everything was absolutely perfect. The little rabbit couldn't have imagined it turning out any better. Even his own clairvoyency never would have prepared him for the ultimate feeling of gratitute he felt towards his companions and his family, or the feeling of warmth that bubbled up inside him whenever he looked out over the World from their home.

_Following the river of death downstream..._

Everything sparkled. Everything sang. They were all lost in joy.

_Or is it a dream?_

After a short while, Fiver began to search for his brother. He had just seen him a short while ago and they were to discuss their future plans for the warren. Everything was still working out beautifully between themselves and their two partner warrens, and every summer new rabbits showed up. It seems word of them had spread over the short amount of time they had come. The original rabbits of Sandleford Warren were now legends in their own time, and Hazel had once said to Fiver that he wouldn't be surprised if stories of them were passed on Forever. What a great feeling that had given Fiver. And it was all because of him! Him! The small one! The runt! The one that they had expected to barely last the winter. Oh, the pride! And here he was now. In his ripe, but incredibly comfortable, old age. Just as healthy as the rest of them. And he still had a bit of power in his aging body. Enough power to sprint off towards the edge of the hill to look out.

_There's a fog along the horizon._

_A strange glow in the sky._

_And nobody seems to know where you go..._

_And what does it mean?..._

_Is it a dream?_

Where was Hazel? He turned around after his viewing of the countryside and glanced over the Down. Where was his brother? He wouldn't have gone off anywhere. And he wouldn't be in the Warren, it was too nice out to be in the Warren right now. He's surely be out with the rest... but he wasn't.

Just when he was about to give up and ask the others for help, his eyes fell over a brownish colored heap lying in the grass a few yards away. Was it Hazel? Why was he lying down like that? Rabbits never slept out in the open like that, even if it was completely safe. He hopped over slowly.

"Hazel? Are you alright?" Fiver asked softly, nudging his brother with his snout. He was still quite warm, but his body was obviously limp, and Fiver fell upon the realization quickly. He sat back upon his legs and thought for a moment.

_Is it a kind of shadow?_

_Reaching into the night..._

_Wandering over the hills unseen..._

_Or is it a dream?_

For a moment, a large feeling of sadness welled up inside Fiver. If rabbits could cry, he would have broken down and done so right there. But something stopped him. He looked up from the body of his brother for a moment, the empty shell that held nothing anymore, and looked out upon the trees. A flicker of something caught his eye, followed by another sharp blur. Two twin figures were racing around the Down, darting inbetween plants and through branches. The sun was beginning to set, and it was getting harder to see, but Fiver could still make out the forms. They were that of rabbits.

_There's a high, high wind in the trees._

_A cold sound in the air._

_And nobody ever knows when you go..._

_And where do you start?_

_Into the dark._

The despair left Fiver as he watched the two depart, he had no doubt Hazel was off to join El-ahrairah's Owsla in the sky. And he longed for the day he would join them. He knew his brother's body was now empty, but he still felt the need to cover it over with a few flowers he had picked with his mouth nearby before racing off back to his friends and family.


End file.
